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Filip Roos Signs In Sweden

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Senators blueliner Filip Roos was slated to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent this summer but has opted not to test the NHL UFA market.  Instead, SHL Farjestad announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a two-year contract.

The 26-year-old came to North America in 2022, signing an entry-level deal with Chicago as an undrafted free agent.  He played in 17 games with the Blackhawks the following season and held his own while logging over 16 minutes a night of playing time.  However, he only saw action in four NHL games last season and wound up being non-tendered last June.

That brought him to Ottawa in free agency back in July as he inked a one-year, two-way deal on the second day of free agency.  The hope was that he’d serve as quality depth with AHL Belleville and potentially fill in when injuries arose on the back end.  The first part happened as he was an important part of Belleville’s back end where he chipped in with 17 assists in 68 games but didn’t receive any recalls during the season.

While Roos’ performance would have been enough to secure another two-way NHL deal this summer, it appears he decided that he’d be better off returning home for now.  But a good showing over the next two seasons could be enough to get him back on the NHL radar at that time.

Maple Leafs Goalie Anthony Stolarz Making Progress

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Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz continues to make progress from his injury, head coach Craig Berube told reporters, including TSN’s Mark Masters. However, Berube added that Stolarz hasn’t returned to skating.

The team has not formally announced why Stolarz remains out, but he was injured in Game 1 when Florida’s Sam Bennett hit him in the head with his arm, causing Stolarz to leave the game. He was seen vomiting on the bench and was eventually taken to the hospital for evaluation. Berube confirm that Stolarz was doing well and discharged from the hospital later that night. He performed well in the team’s first round series against the Senators, with a .901 save percentage in those six games.

In his place, backup Joseph Woll has done a commendable job, leading Toronto to a 2-1 series lead against the Panthers. However, he has just a .869 save percentage in those games and is coming off of an overtime loss where he let in five goals. It also appears the defending champs are beginning to exploit Woll’s puck handling abilities, per NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger. As Berube noted: “A lot of those rims, they’re up, they’re not on the ice, and that’s by design. If they can get a good lick on it, they’re going to put it off the glass, and it’s pretty tough for him to come out and play those. We’re going to have to move it quick.”

Toronto’s goalie situation is in a tough spot with Stolarz’s injury and a sickness to third option Matt Murray, who was unable to suit up for Game 3. Murray’s status for Game 4 isn’t yet known, but if he’s unable to go, it would likely signify that rookie Dennis Hildeby would serve as backup again. Ironically, the most playoff-experienced goaltender on Toronto’s roster is Murray — the same netminder who burst onto the scene with the Pittsburgh Penguins and backstopped them to consecutive Stanley Cup titles. However, since leaving Pittsburgh, his play has declined, and he made only two appearances for Toronto this season.

Bruins Considering Marco Sturm, Rick Tocchet For Head Coach

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The Boston Bruins are considering a variety of candidates for their head coaching position, and Marco Sturm is in the mix, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. While Sturm, 46, has never been a head coach in the NHL, he has had a successful start to his coaching career.

He has compiled a 119-80-17 record in three seasons as the head coach of the Ontario Reign, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL-affiliate. He also served as an assistant for the Kings from 2018-2022, giving him some experience behind an NHL bench. Of course, Sturm also nearly 1,000 career games as an NHL player, suiting up for six teams over his 14-year career, including parts of five seasons with the Bruins.

Moreover, he has shined in his international coaching opportunities. He was named head coach and general manager of Germany’s national team in 2016, where he led his home country to a quarterfinal’s appearance at the 2016 World Championships. Then his squad went on a Cinderella run at the 2018 Olympics, where they won a silver medal.

Veteran NHL coach Rick Tocchet is also under consideration for the role, according to RG’s James Murphy. As Murphy notes, Tocchet and GM Cam Neely have a strong relationship dating back to their playing days, and the two may share a similar philosophy to how to move a franchise forward. The Canucks did not pick up Tocchet’s club option on April 29. The Canucks expressed interest extending Tocchet, who won the Jack Adams Award after recording a 50-win season and winning the Pacific Division in 2023-24. However, it seemed Tocchet was more interested in a fresh start elsewhere.

And as Murphy notes, Tocchet is a legitimate candidate for several teams seeking an experienced voice behind the bench. Teams to be linked to Tocchet include the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, and Utah Mammoth, should they make a coaching change. Tocchet has complied a 178-200-30 career coaching record through six seasons but was 108-65-27 (.608) across three seasons with the Canucks.

David Carle Set To Stay At University Of Denver

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Perhaps no name in the coaching candidate circle is more coveted than University of Denver head coach David Carle. At just 35 years old, Carle has earned a reputation in the hockey world for crafting winning teams, both at the NCAA level and on the international stage. He’s led Team USA to back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championship, further solidifying his coaching credentials. However, according to Joe Smith of The Athletic, Carle doesn’t believe now is the right time to make the jump to the NHL—if that time ever comes at all.

While Carle noted he has strongly considered making a move to the NHL, he said: “But at the end of the day, I think everything I’ve said held true. The situation didn’t perfectly align and meet the things we were looking for to leave a wonderful place to raise our family and continue to work. We feel very blessed and grateful to stay here. We love Denver. It’s our home, and I think going through the (NHL talks) probably solidified that even more for us.”

Carle kept it simple when asked why he won’t pull the trigger on an NHL offer this year, especially considering a third of the league is looking for head coaches. As Carle put it, the right opportunity just hasn’t presented itself. He also discussed that the “right opportunity” includes what is best for not just his professional future, but also what is best for his family. Carle said it would take a “life-changing” opportunity for he and his family to leave Denver.

He went on to say that his conversations with NHL teams this hiring cycle reaffirmed his commitment to the University of Denver, and that he has no desire to leave his current role any time soon. Last offseason, Carle was known to be in conversation with the St. Louis Blues, and this offseason he held discussions with the Chicago Blackhawks before withdrawing his name from consideration. He also held discussions with the Anaheim Ducks, who eventually went with veteran Joel Quenneville.

Job stability was another factor Carle discussed. He has previously stated that “NHL coaches aren’t treated in a way that’s conducive to long-term success,” and with national championships in 2022 and 2024, a recent contract extension, and a highly secure position with the Pioneers, he has little reason to leave a situation that’s working.

 

Sharks Notes: Eklund, Bordeleau, Gushchin, Poturalski

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Sharks winger William Eklund is eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st and it appears that the team would like to get something done quickly.  GM Mike Grier told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that he recently met with Eklund’s agent to get an early sense of what the asking price might be on a new agreement.  Speculatively, that would be a long-term agreement as early extensions are rarely short-term bridge pacts although Grier said all options are on the table this early in the process.  The 22-year-old set career highs in goals (17), assists (41), and points (58) this season while finishing second in team scoring to Calder Trophy finalist Macklin Celebrini.  With the salary cap set to spike, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a long-term extension surpass the $8MM mark per season.

More from San Jose:

  • Center Thomas Bordeleau told reporters including Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link) that he has been dealing with a concussion and wasn’t particularly close to returning had the AHL’s Barracuda been able to go on a long playoff run. The 23-year-old played in 59 games in the minors this season, notching 14 goals and 24 assists as he heads to restricted free agency for the first time this summer.
  • Bordeleau also spoke about his status in the organization, voicing some frustration to reporters including Pashelka (Twitter link) about how the last couple of years have gone, saying that the message changed. It wasn’t long ago that it looked like he was on the verge of being a full-timer with the Sharks but instead, he played in just one game with the big club this season after getting into 27 in 2023-24.
  • Winger Daniil Gushchin is also set to be a restricted free agent this summer. Despite a strong year with the Barracuda that saw him pot 27 goals and 21 assists in 54 games, he only saw a dozen games with the Sharks, leading to some frustration earlier in the year as well.  Although there has been some speculation that he’d like to return to Russia, Peng relays that the 23-year-old’s intention is to remain in North America.  A three-time 20-goal scorer in the minors, it feels like Gushchin will be in tough to crack a full-time spot with the Sharks, especially if Grier goes out and adds some pieces this summer.
  • In that same column, another player who voiced some frustration about his usage this season was Andrew Poturalski. The 31-year-old led the AHL in scoring this season with 73 points, earning his first career MVP award but that only got him three games with the Sharks, a decision he said he doesn’t agree with.  Signed for one more year, there has been speculation that Poturalski could look to go to the KHL next season over remaining in the minors but the two sides would need to reach a mutual contract termination first before that could happen.

Ducks Part Ways With Two Assistant Coaches

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Earlier today, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported (Twitter links) that the Ducks were likely to make further changes to their coaching staff.  Those moves have now been made as the team announced (Twitter link) that they will not be retaining assistant coaches Brent Thompson and Rich Clune.

Thompson spent the last two seasons behind the bench in Anaheim, his first NHL stint in nearly a decade after spending a pair of years as an assistant with the Islanders.  In between, he had been a fixture at AHL Bridgeport, serving as their bench boss for nine years before being added to former head coach Greg Cronin’s staff with the team bringing in coaches known for player development.

As for Clune, this was his first season with the team and the first full year that he was an assistant coach.  His playing career came to an end back in 2022 with AHL Toronto and he remained with the organization for two seasons in a player development role while spending a part season as an assistant with the Marlies before getting a chance to work with an NHL franchise.

For the time being, at least, it appears that Anaheim’s other assistant coaches will remain on Joel Quenneville’s staff.  Tim Army was also hired last offseason for his second stint with the team after being an assistant in the first three years of the franchise’s existence.  Meanwhile, goalie coach Peter Budaj, who also joined the Ducks last summer for his first stint of being an NHL coach, appears to be safe as well.

Metropolitan Notes: Jankowski, Lindstrom, Lindberg, Karpa

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Although Hurricanes center Mark Jankowski skated again today, team reporters Walt Ruff and Peter Dewar relay that Jankowski is listed as doubtful for tonight’s third game against Washington.  Head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated yesterday that the 30-year-old is close to returning so he shouldn’t be out for too much longer.  Jankowski suffered an undisclosed injury in the opening game of the series.  Acquired at the trade deadline from Nashville, he wound up providing them with some quality depth scoring as he had eight goals in just 19 games following the swap while he has an assist in three playoff contests so far.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Friday was a big night for Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom as the 2024 fourth-overall selection made his 2024-25 debut in the WHL Final, recording an assist in the first minute of the game. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that he spent most of his rehab with Columbus, skating with them from February through early April before returning to Medicine Hat to work with his junior club.  After missing the entirety of the season until yesterday due to back surgery, Lindstrom wound up going 399 days between games.
  • Penguins RFA goaltender Filip Lindberg has signed a one-year deal with Assat in Finland, per a team release. The 26-year-old spent two seasons in Pittsburgh’s system with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before opting to return home in 2023.  This season, Lindberg split time between HFK and Tappara, putting up a 2.43 GAA and a .908 SV% in 26 regular season games.  The Penguins will hold his rights until June 30, 2026.
  • The Rangers’ farm team in Hartford recently announced the signing of center Zakary Karpa to a one-year deal for next season. The 23-year-old spent the last four years at Harvard but production was hard to come by.  Karpa played in 33 games this season for the Crimson, collecting a goal and six assists.  In 117 games over his four-year collegiate career, he had 16 goals and 19 assists.

K’Andre Miller Undergoes Surgery

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It was a bit of a tough year for Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller.  Unfortunately for him, his offseason hasn’t gotten off to a good start either.  Mollie Walker of the New York Post relays that the blueliner recently underwent surgery to repair an upper-body injury sustained late in the season.  His initial plan was to rehab the injury and avoid going under the knife but he ultimately opted for the procedure after the rehab wasn’t working as planned.  The hope is that he will be ready to return for the start of next season.

The 25-year-old has been a core defender for New York over his five-year NHL career.  He has shown some flashes of being an all-around top-pairing piece with an intriguing offensive game but inconsistency has been an issue for him.

That was the case this year, as it was for quite a few Rangers.  Miller played in 74 games, picking up 27 points, his lowest point total since the 2021-22 campaign, his first full NHL season.  He also set a new career high in turnovers with 97; his previous high in that regard was 68.

That’s not exactly the ideal platform year heading into restricted free agency this summer, nor does this surgery help on that front.  Miller is arbitration-eligible for the first time and is owed a $4.646MM qualifying offer, matching his salary from this season but well above his $3.872MM cap charge.  If he files for a hearing, he could ask for a two-year agreement that walks him to UFA status but the team would get the final say on if it was a one-year or two-year award.

It’s also worth noting that GM Chris Drury won’t have a lot of cap flexibility this summer.  With the acquisition of J.T. Miller midseason and the long-term record-breaking extension for Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers have just $8.4MM in cap room, per PuckPedia.  Miller isn’t the only player who needs to be signed as winger Will Cuylle is in line for a new deal as well as a restricted free agent and should come in around the $3MM mark at least on a bridge agreement.  That doesn’t leave much wiggle room to hammer out any type of long-term deal.

Heading into the summer, it felt like the likeliest outcome for Miller was a one-year deal at or near his qualifying offer.  Now with the surgery, that might push things even more in that direction over the coming weeks.

Atlantic Notes: Stutzle, Byram, Hughes, Protz

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While he wasn’t on Germany’s initial roster for the World Championship, Senators forward Tim Stutzle will now join that team, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  He indicated last weekend that he hoped to play but when he wasn’t originally named to the team, it looked as if either he’d had a change of heart or didn’t receive medical clearance.  The 23-year-old led the Sens in scoring this season with 24 goals and a career-high 55 assists in 82 regular season games before adding five points in six playoff contests.  Germany opens up its tournament action today but they’ll have to wait until Tuesday before Stutzle is able to suit up versus Norway as he’ll miss both games this weekend.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram has a key contract negotiation this summer as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. He’ll now have new representatives working on that deal as Quartexx Hockey announced (Twitter link) that they now represent the blueliner.  Byram, who Titan Sports Management’s Kevin Epp previously repped, set new career highs in games played (82), assists (31), points (38), blocked shots (116), and ATOI (22:42), putting him in a spot to land considerably more than his $4.62MM qualifying offer.  He’s two years away from UFA eligibility so it’s quite likely that Buffalo will be pushing to sign him to a long-term agreement in the coming weeks.
  • Pending Canadiens UFA Connor Hughes took himself off the open market early. The goaltender is heading back to Switzerland after Lausanne HC announced that they’ve signed him to a five-year contract.  The 28-year-old had a breakout showing with Lausanne in 2023-24, leading to a one-year deal from Montreal last spring.  Hughes fared relatively well with AHL Laval this year with a 2.58 GAA and a .905 SV% in 28 outings but has elected to go back overseas for the long haul now.
  • Still with the Canadiens, Laval announced (Twitter link) that they recently signed defenseman Owen Protz to an ATO agreement. Montreal drafted the 19-year-old in the fourth round last June, taking him 102nd overall.  Protz had 32 points in 67 games with OHL Brantford this season while adding six more in 11 playoff contests and will now get his first taste of the pros, albeit likely in a reserve role.

Sabres Looking To Add Front Office Veteran

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Earlier this week, the Sabres added long-time NHL veteran Eric Staal to their front office as a special advisor to GM Kevyn Adams.  However, it appears they have some other additions in mind as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that they have been looking to speak to some veteran executives in an effort to shore up or outright reshape their front office.

Seravalli adds that a few different options have been considered.  One would see someone hired above Adams while also adding another executive beneath him in the pecking order.  Another would simply being to hire a senior executive while a third option would see Adams elevated to a president role and a new general manager being hired.

Adams has been at the helm in Buffalo for the past five seasons and the team has seen its postseason drought extend to 14 straight seasons, tying the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest active playoff drought in major North American pro sports.  These past five seasons have also been Adams’ only front office experience so it’s certainly understandable that the team would look to add some experience on that front.

On the managerial side, the Sabres have three people working under Adams, associate GM Jason Karmanos and assistant GMs Jerry Forton and Mark Jakubowski.  Of the three, Karmanos is the only one who has worked for an NHL franchise other than Buffalo and Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News relays that Karmanos may not return to the club next season.  Forton has been with the team for the past 11 seasons and Jakubowski 12, each serving in various roles along the way.

It appears that the Sabres are at least considering going with a senior advisor, at a minimum.  David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period notes (Twitter link) that the club approached long-time NHL GMs Ken Holland and Lou Lamoriello about such a role but both indicated they weren’t interested in an advisory position.  Whether that’s enough to make the team shift approaches and offer up a more prominent role remains to be seen but it certainly looks like Staal won’t be the only front office addition over the coming weeks and months.

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